The main issue with double booting is that the GRUB takes over for loading the systems. In case of any problems that is hard to fix and also if you want to uninstall Ubuntu, it is not obvious how to clean up the system partition.
The best protection is to take an image of the system partition before you install Ubuntu. Then you can always go back to that.
As long as things work 'as designed', there is no problem. Unfortunately that is not always the case.
Dear WHS,
Now the question is upon installing UBUNTU, will it ask where to install the GRUB since I cant recall if it did when I tried, or it may have presented the default and I unknowingly hit OK to go along with UBUNTU's default suggestion and ended up with booting issues (I am using UBUNTU version 14)
If it gives an option, should the UBUNTU GRUB be installed in the same partition that I created specifically for UBUNTU ??
Thanks
SAM
If you want double booting, the Grub has to control the bootloaders for Windows and Ubuntu. That means they have to be in the same place - typically the System partition.
I am not amazed that you got booting issues - I think I elaborated on that possibility.
Your best option is to install Ubuntu on a seperate disk - seperate from the Windows system. But you have to unplug the Windows disk during the Ubuntu installation. Then you select the OS you want to boot with the bootorder of the BIOS.
That is what I have been led to believe.
I should point out that I am actually triple booting (XP, W7 & LM17).
I'm not sure how Windows 7 actually dual boots with earlier version of Windows.
Some of the files may have been installed in XP.
On my PC, when I boot:
- A GRUB menu appears with entries for:
- Linux Mint
- Windows Bootloader
- If I choose Windows Bootloader, I get a new menu with entries for:
- Windows 7
- Windows XP
Last edited by lehnerus2000; 06 Jun 2014 at 21:03. Reason: Clarification
Dear ALL,
Many thanks to all for your specificity in elaboration and support for my understanding in this challenging matter which was my first run-in with the Culprit called Boot-loader.
I will surely now give it a go on an old laptop that has no data following step by step to see if it all works out.
I am laying out the implementation plan here, please feel free to chime in if you think a step is missing or needs modification or perhaps needs to be superseded by another method
1. Saving an Initial system image file with MACRIUM in-case things go side ways (keeping the MACRIUM recovery CD handy)
2. Installing EasyBCD
3. Installing G-parted on live USB
4. Using G-parted to partition the Hard drive with a different 25GB Partition for UBUNTU and another 2-5 GB Partition for SWAP (leaving System Reserved: and OS Disk (C): as they are and taking space away from DATA Disk (D): for the above)
5. Running UBUNTU from live USB to see if there are any issues
6. Booting into Ubuntu and installing it to the proper partition. Installing the GRUB bootloader to the Ubuntu partition - not to the MBR.
7. Booting into Windows and run EasyBCD. Adding Ubuntu to the list of operating systems. Let EasyBCD install its bootloader.
8. Now when I boot my system, I can select which OS to boot.
Thanks
SAM
Hi there - I have been referred to this Tutorial by DavidW7ncus who has been trying to help with my problem. I would greatly appreciate someone having a look at my thread: - Problem with Windows 7 Task Scheduler On the last two occasions I have attempted to run scheduled backups my whole system has frozen after only a few minutes and I have had to power down and reboot. Additionally MR has not created any logs for these so I have been unable to see why they have failed, whereas earlier failures at least ran sufficiently long to record an error message. Image files have been created on my external HDD but they are incomplete and MR says they are corrupted.
Why did you use the task scheduler to schedule the Macrium backups. You can do that directly from within Macrium. Just right click on the backup definition file in the Macrium window and you will find it.
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